This invention relates to the art of routers and, more particularly, to an improved lift mechanism for supporting a router beneath a work supporting surface for adjustment of the position of the router bit or cutter relative to the work supporting surface.
The present invention finds particular utility in connection with the support of a fixed base or plunge router relative to a work supporting surface and, accordingly, will be illustrated and described in detail herein in connection with such routers. At the same time, however, it will be appreciated that the invention is applicable to the support of other tools of the character wherein a driven bit, cutter, blade, or the like is supported for vertical adjustment relative to a work supporting surface such as a work bench or table.
It is known, as shown for example in my U.S. Pat. No. 6,505,659 and in my copending patent application Ser. No. 10/159,356 filed May 30, 2002, both of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference, to support a fixed base or plunge router beneath a work supporting surface such that the router and thus a router bit to be driven thereby is vertically adjustable relative to the work supporting surface. The adjustability provides for accommodating a wide variety of router bit profiles and, as is well known, such routers are used by wood workers in connection with the production of furniture, decorative moldings, picture framing strips, and in conjunction with the joining of wood pieces, the forming of dovetail joints, box joints and the like. High quality work in connection with the use of routers for the latter and other purposes requires not only a good router, sharp bits, good wood, and a skilled operator, but also, precision with respect to obtaining and maintaining a truly perpendicular orientation of the router axis and thus the router bit axis with the plane of the work supporting surface. Further, high quality work requires stability against vibration during a cutting operation, and the ability to accurately and minutely control adjustment of the vertical position of the router bit relative to the work supporting surface.
While the lift mechanisms disclosed in my aforementioned patent and patent application promote the ability to obtain the foregoing desired attributes, the lift mechanisms are structurally distinct and designed to accommodate the mounting and adjustability of just one or the other of the fixed base and plunge type routers. Accordingly, a craftsman, a wood working shop, or the like, must purchase and maintain two lift mechanisms in order to be able to selectively use a fixed base or a plunge router. If the craftsman or shop has only one or the other of the lift mechanisms, then it is obvious that the shop or craftsman is limited to the use of the corresponding one of the two types of routers. In either case, there is a potential for either undesirably high purchase and maintenance costs if two router lifts are desired, or the loss of the versatility afforded by the selective use of the two different types of routers and the ability to selectively take advantage of the unique characteristics of each.